Alan Liere’s weekly fish and game report for May 5

Wed., May 4, 2016

By Alan Liere spokesmanliere@yahoo.com

Tip of the week

Probably because of the early spring, most of the hen turkeys have been bred and the toms have lost much of their ardor. They still will not tolerate a competing male, however, particularly a younger one. Sometimes when they hear a jake “call,” the toms will come looking for a fight.

Braggin’ rights

Dragging a spinner and nightcrawler in the Spokane Arm of Lake Roosevelt on the April 17, Lloyd Spooner of Spokane hooked and landed a spawned-out walleye that weighed 15 pounds, 8 ounces. He says it’s by far the biggest he’s ever caught.
The Lake Pend Oreille Spring Tournament saw a lot of nice rainbow and macks weighed in. Winner of the biggest rainbow in the adult division was Calvin Nolan of Bayview with a ‘bow weighing 18.64 pounds. Close behind was Cory LaRue with a 17.88 pounder. In the mackinaw division, John Jay of Spokane won with an 18.98 pounder and Eric MacKay took second with 16.82-pound mack.

Overheard

Regional 3 fish biologist Randy Osborne says once steelhead have been introduced to an inland freshwater lake, they are considered trout and not subject to steelhead regulations. Osborne also says triploid trout are not normally planted in Sprague Lake. The girthy “footballs” from Sprague are a result of the enormous amount of food in the lake.
WDFW Chelan district fish biologist Travis Matiland alerts anglers that the Icicle and Wenatchee rivers could have a spring chinook salmon season, depending on how the fish return progresses. “The forecast looks to be at about average or a bit under,” he said, “and we’re looking at a mid-May opener at the earliest.”

Heads up

Idaho Fish and Game’s “Take Me Fishing” trailers will make many appearances in May and June at fishing holes across the state with the first Panhandle event at Fernan Lake on Saturday. The trailers are stocked with fishing information and basic fishing equipment that can be checked out for free on a first-come, first-served basis. People of any age, residents or non-residents, can fish without a license during the hours of the events if they register at the trailer. For a list of scheduled events, go to: fishandgame.idaho.gov.
The Gordon Steinmetz Memorial Spring Walleye Classic will be held May 21-22 at Coulee City on Banks Lake. Anglers from across the Pacific Northwest will compete for thousands in cash and prizes. This event is sponsored by the Spokane Walleye Club and Valley Marine of Yakima. Info: spokanewalleyeclub.com.

Fly fishing

Green leech patterns have been very effective for 14- to 21-inch Amber Lake trout. The fish are hugging the bottom.

The upper North Fork Coeur d’Alene River is running full, but very clear and fishable. There is a lot of bug activity. The St. Joe is also full but dropping and fishable.

A Fly Fishing Gear Swap where anglers can buy and sell used gear will be held on May 14-15 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in the Silver Bow Fly Shop parking lot in Spokane Valley. The swap allows anglers to sell their lightly used equipment for store credit, or a check (minus the consignment cut), or for anglers looking to purchase used equipment. Register and drop off gear the week before the event. Call Silver Bow for more info: (509) 924-9998.

A two-day free Fly-fishing Fair will run May 13-14 at the Coeur d’Alene Inn (506 Appleway, CdA). There will be fly tiers, casting pond, drawings, raffles, vendors, programs, regional experts, silent auction and live auction at this kid-friendly event. Keynote speaker is Bob Jacklin from West Yellowstone. Also featured will be Kelly Gallup, Frank Johnson, Bruce Richards, Lee Davidson, and Jerry Mc Bride. Tickets for the dinner event on Saturday night are still available. Info: Dave Londeree (208) 946-6631 or dlonderee@roadrunner.com.

Trout and kokanee

The kokanee bite remains excellent on Lake Roosevelt with limits sometimes coming in the first hour. The fish are deeper now – down to 35 feet – but some are still taken from surface offerings.

Drop shotting with Glo-Worms is a good method now for taking Priest Lake mackinaw. Some of the fish have exceeded 10 pounds, but most are 2-4 pounds.

All of the Tucannon River Impoundments (man-made lakes) on the W.T. Wooten Wildlife Area in Columbia County have been re-stocked with hatchery rainbow trout and anglers are doing well.

Deer Lake in southern Stevens County has warmed up since the March 1 opener and is producing catches of rainbow and mackinaw. No reports this spring on Loon Lake macks, but a friend who fishes there often says the kokanee, though small, are biting. He does well trolling two colors or leaded line, 50 feet of leader, a flasher and a Wedding Ring tipped with maggots.

A report from Diamond Lake this week said many of the larger rainbow were showing. Further north, Marshall Lake seems to be loaded with cooperative 9- to 10-inch rainbow.

West Medical Lake is still going strong with lots of chunky 11- to 13-inch rainbow. West Medical fish are best if cleaned immediately and put on ice. Otherwise, there will be a “grassy” taste.

Salmon and steelhead

Bart Jarrett of Northwest Fishing says he expects spring chinook to arrive in the Clearwater River anytime after May 10. He says there is a 7,000-fish quota this year – the third highest in history. For info or to book a trip, call Jarrett at (208) 790-2277 or check out his website at northwestwestfishing.com.

Kyle Jones Sportsfishing reports fantastic chinook fishing near John Day Dam. The best bite has been on tuna-wrapped Maglips.

Spiny ray

The pike fishing on Lake Coeur d’Alene and the chains is picking up. In the two-day pike tourney hosted by Fins and Feathers last weekend, a lot of big fish were weighed in. Jeff Smith and his son Jordon took first place with over 56 pounds of fish, including one weighing 27.5 pounds. In second place was the team of Chadderdon and Turner with 53.38 pounds. Most of the fish were in 4-8 feet of water around weed beds.

Clear Lake anglers have been catching small trout, but also a large variety of spiny ray including some decent-sized largemouth. Eloika Lake crappie fishing has slowed some, but keeper-sized crappie are still being caught, as well as some nice bass.

The north end of Moses Lake provided non-stop walleye action recently for a pair of anglers dragging bottom walkers and Slow Death hooks baited with nightcrawlers. Moses Lake perch appear to be spawned out, but some anglers are making huge catches of healthy 12-inchers.

Silver Lake west of Spokane seems to improve yearly for largemouth bass anglers. Fish the stumps and the docks. Senkos have been good. Most area bass waters are hitting primetime now. Good reports come from Newman, Eloika, Downs, Long, Clear and Lower Twin in Washington and Hayden, Hauser, Twin and the Coeur d’Alene Chains in Idaho. The Idaho Twin Lake has been good for perch, bluegill and crappie.

Box Canyon Reservoir and Boundary Reservoir on the Pend Oreille River in Pend Oreille County are yielding nice smallmouth bass. WDFW northeast district assistant fish biologist Brian Walker says anglers should work the shoreline areas of Boundary for a chance to catch some big ones.

The boat launch at Porcupine Bay is usable again and friends who fished out of there on Tuesday caught a lot of smallmouth and five walleye. They cast crawdad-colored tub jigs infused with Smelly Jelly to rocky shorelines.

Other species

State shellfish managers have added four days of razor clam digging at Mocrocks to a previously scheduled opening at Long Beach to offer a full week of digging starting on Friday. All digs will be on minus morning tides – some of the best tides of the clam season.

Hunting

Now is a good time for prospective hunters to register and complete an Idaho Hunter Education course. Registration is easy and convenient and this time of year there are a number of courses available. Info: fishandgame.idaho.gov.

Contact Alan Liere via email at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com